The Best Nintendo Gamecube Games Under $10

I started the Cheapest Games series quite a while ago and I figured I should revise some of the posts to reflect some of the changing values and give more relevant recommendations. Hopefully, this revised list of Gamecube games will help you start or build up your collection without having to spend much.. (Prices listed are an average eBay price for US games, including shipping)

After a year or two of increased Gamecube game prices (to coincide with the Wii’s success and backwards compatibility), prices have started to come back down for most of the best games — with the exceptions of the rarities and RPGs. It also helps when some of the popular games receive sequels or re-releases. So if you want to round out your Gamecube or Wii collection on the cheap, take a look at these picks.

After a few years of increased Gamecube game prices (to coincide with the Wii’s success and backwards compatibility), prices have started to come back down for most of the best games — with the exceptions of the rarities and RPGs. It also helps when some of the popular games receive sequels or re-releases. So if you want to round out your Gamecube or Wii collection on the cheap, take a look at these picks.

F-Zero GX: $8
When two innovative game-makers get together, good things happen. Even though F-Zero is a Nintendo franchise, Mario and Co. let Sega do most of the development work for this racer. Sega’s arcade experience paid off as F-Zero GX is a incredibly fast, challenging, addicting, and visually stunning piece of racing goodness. Dare I say that this game is my favorite racer of all time (I prefer arcade racers to simulations).Shop for F-Zero GX on eBayShop for F-Zero GX on Amazon.com

Viewtiful Joe: $6Viewtiful Joe 2: $5
This lovable series from Capcom took old-school beatemup gameplay, threw in some interesting gameplay puzzles and mixed with trendy cel-shading graphics. Capcom may not have been able to improve greatly on the series later on, but the original is still a must-own for a modern retrogamer.Shop for Viewtiful Joe on eBayShop for Viewtiful Joe on Amazon.com

TimeSplitters 2: $7
If you want a high-quality FPS that is designed for consoles, you need to pick up TimeSplitters 2. Developed by the same team that worked for Rareware on the N64’s Goldeneye 007, Timesplitters 2 has killer level design, great weapons, and a variety of multiplayer and minigame options. It may not have the realism that some modern gamers crave or a fascinating storyline, but it tops Halo in my book in terms of gameplay and all-out fun. The sequel, Future Perfect is also on the Gamecube, but as of recently, it’s been selling for well over $20Shop for TimeSplitters 2 on eBayShop for TimeSplitters 2 on Amazon.com

Soul Calibur II: $6
Anybody remotely interested in 3D fighters should not overlook the Soul Calibur series. After the rave reviews as a Dreamcast exclusive, the original Soul Calibur was followed up as a multiplatform sequel with a great deal of hype. The Gamecube version was an especially high seller due to The Legend of Zelda’s Link as a playable fighter. However, even though Soul Calibur III wasn’t much better, most gamers are selling off their copies and picking up newer installments. Now is your time to take advantage of this bargain.Shop for Soul Calibur II on eBayShop for Soul Calibur II on Amazon.com

Pac-Man Vs. / Pac-Man World 2: $6
If you want a killer party game for retro freaks and non-gamers alike, look no further than Pac-Man Vs. Pac-Man vs. was actually a project of Shigeru Miyamoto, the mastermind behind Mario, Zelda, and most of Nintendo’s most successful game. It lets up four players battle it out in a Pac-Man “simulation”. One person take the role of Pac-Man while the others possess the ghosts and team up on Pac-Man. Having the platformer Pac-Man World 2 included in the package is just an added bonus.Shop for Pac-Man Vs. / Pac-Man World 2 on eBayShop for Pac-Man Vs. / Pac-Man World 2 on Amazon.com

Star Fox Adventures: $9
This game was initially a let-down to Star Fox fans as it doesn’t let you do all the space battling that you would normally expect from a Star Fox game. Instead, Star Fox Adventures plays more like a Zelda game with its action, adventure, and exploration. If you know this going in, you should find Star Fox Adventures an affordable treat.Shop for Star Fox Adventures on eBayShop for Star Fox Adventures on Amazon.com

Resident Evil 4: $9
Back in 2005, RE4 knocked the critic’s stocks off as it redefined the experience of the Resident Evil series. It sold a ton of copies before becoming a multiplatform title. Part 4 is still a favorite and after-market copies are abundant keeping the resale prices low.Shop for Resident Evil 4 on eBayShop for Resident Evil 4 on Amazon

Pikmin: $9
Nintendo has mastered the skill of taking rather complicated genres of games and bringing them to the masses in a friendly package. Pikmin is a wonderful example of simplifying real-time-strategy while keeping the fun intact. Most fans of the series will agree that the second installment is friendlier and more polished, but the original Pikmin is still an excellent game. Pikmin 2 is also unlikely to be in the more budget-friendly range in the forseeable future.Shop for Pikmin on eBayShop for Pikmin on Amazon

Lego Star Wars: $8 each
Personally, I prefer Lega Star Wars 2 (The Original Trilogy) much more out of the two games, but both installements are filled to the brim with lots of entertaining co-op goodness, humor, and the parts of Star Wars we love most. now that the Complete Saga releases have made it to newer platforms, these original releases are getting cheaper as time goes on.Shop for Lego Star Wars Series on eBayShop for Lego Star Wars Series on Amazon

Sonic Mega Collection – $9
Even though there are some other methods of playing these classic Sonic games on other platforms, the Sonic Mega Collection is still an excellent value and a well-producded compilation discs of some of the greatest platformers of all time. If you have any remote interest in Sonic, this is a must grab.Shop for Sonic Mega Collection on eBayShop for Sonic Mega Collection on Amazon

15 Comments

My recommendation is, if you’re gonna play Sonic Mega Collection, you’ll want a third-party controller with a good D-Pad. The official GC controller’s D-Pad sucks, and the genesis classics can be aggravating to play with an analog stick.

Another plus for Soul Calibur 2–it won’t fry all the save files on your memory card like Soul Calibur 3 can. SC3, a PS2 exclusive has a fatal save flaw that can not only corrupt your SC file, but wipe your whole memory card. So either keep an SC3 only memory card, or stick with SC2.

Keep in mind TimeSplitters 2 is the more family friendly TimeSplitters: not as “saucy,” fewer zombies, less gore, less profanity. TS:FP is great and really ramped up the extras and options (easier unlockables), but TS2 will never fail to entertain.

Great list. I still love playing GCN games on my Wii console. Just finished playing MOH:Frontline with my nephew. brother & a friend. GCN was awesome to keep the four controller multiplayer options for everyone and the Wii still delivers on that. Having the 4 ports still available made tonight a lot of fun. Along with a lot of BattleTanx playing and Conker’s bad Fur Day multi player games like Beach, War, and heist. The N64 was great and the Wii is awesome for the terrific and flawless backward compatibility.

I have both a gamecube and a wii but Idk why but I almost never use my wii to play gamecube games, my wii is now mostly for netflix :(, sometimes its not even in my room my sister uses it in her room to watch netflix, but hey at least I have an awesome gamecube